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Champagne de Bois and aldehydes

written by May 26, 2008

I had been using a different labdanum absolute in Champagne de Bois than in my other scents and need to switch that formula over to the newer labdanum. While I’m at it, I’m making some other adjustments to the formula and have been working on that today. I thought I should decrease one of the aldehydes relative to the others and make a couple changes to the woods accord.

You’ve probably smelled aldehydes like C-10, C-11 undecylenic, C-12 lauric, and C-12 mna in various fragrances (Chanel No. 5 being the most famous example). They all are very potent and need to be highly diluted before working with them for small test batches of trial formulas. They have a characteristic odor aspect that you learn to associate with aldehydes, and they have varying degrees of citrus, floral, waxy, fatty, green, soapy, and/or ambery nuances. They can add sparkle, lift, and elegance to fragrance, and each one smells different. I usually prefer to use very tiny amounts of them, but I used a bit more in Champagne to give it the fizzy character. Most people do fine with very small amounts of aldehydes, but some people don’t care for them when they reach noticeable amounts in a formula.

So, I need to get back to the trials on this. I hope to finish and have Champagne back on the list soon. No mail on Monday for Memorial Day, so I won’t be shipping orders out until Tuesday this week. Hope your holiday weekend is a great one.